Windows Phone 8 Pre-Orders Open October 21 [Report]

Are you excited by Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 platform? Did the Nokia Lumia 920 or HTC 8X sell you on the concept? If so, you may be wondering when the delightfully colorful phones will be available for pre-order at your local carrier. The wait isn't long as pre-orders start in just a few weeks.

The Verge reports that sources close to Microsoft and AT&T revealed that pre-orders for the carrier's line of Windows Phone 8 devices will begin on October 21. Of particular interest to Windows Phone faithful are the aforementioned devices - the HTC 8X and Nokia Lumia 920. Both devices hold the hopes and dreams of Microsoft executives to finally grab hold of the market.

Those dreams may crash before they even take off as Nokia's device is exclusive to AT&T. The carrier may have a very large portion of the market, but Windows Phone needs all the help it can get. Unfortunately, the poor performance of past Windows Phone handsets leaves other carriers with cold feet. The HTC 8X and 8S may be the best chance for Windows Phone 8 as it will be available on multiple carriers including Verizon and T-Mobile, which the latter has a very attractive unlimited 4G data plan.

The report says that Windows Phone 8 devices will be launching at some point in early November. Previous reports pegged the launch of Windows Phone 8 at this time due to delays caused by testing at carriers. The company needs to nail the launch of Windows Phone 8, or be forever plagued as the "little smartphone OS that could."

In related news, it was revealed that Samsung's and Asus' Windows 8 PC/tablet hybrids will also be going up for pre-order on October 21. Unlike Windows Phone 8, these devices will be made available on October 26 alongside Windows Phone 8.